The University of Southampton
University of Southampton Institutional Repository

The identification of early indicators of child abuse and neglect: a multi-professional modified Delphi Survey

The identification of early indicators of child abuse and neglect: a multi-professional modified Delphi Survey
The identification of early indicators of child abuse and neglect: a multi-professional modified Delphi Survey
Through the application of the Delphi technique, this study draws on the expertise of British child protection academics and practitioners from a wide range of disciplines in seeking to develop a consensus opinion on possible early indicators of child abuse and neglect. Underpinned by children's rights theory the study reflects an ideologically oriented mode of inquiry. The literature on childhood and research findings from work undertaken with adult survivors of abuse forms an important part of the background. The search for early indicators is described in the context of a secondary preventative approach to the problem of child maltreatment.The Delphi study was conducted through three rounds of data collection. Consensus was defined as 75% or more of the panel agreeing (or 75% or more disagreeing) that an item was a possible early indicator of child abuse and neglect. A total of 73 items were generated. Of these 46 reached a consensus of agreement, four reached a consensus of disagreement and the remaining 23 items failed to reach consensus. The findings from the Delphi study were then examined in the context of a retrospective case-notes review of 20 families known to have had a child protection concern.Although, it is well recognised that inter-agency working is a crucial component of child protection practice, secondary analysis of the Delphi data suggested a number of significant differences in the strength and extent of inter-agency agreement on a number of the possible early indicators. The implications of this finding are discussed in light of contemporary policy and practice. A very tentative conclusion arising from the study is that the early indicators of child abuse and neglect that achieved consensus of agreement may help in diagnosing child abuse and neglect at an earlier stage, although they are not necessarily diagnostic. Alternative explanations, differential diagnoses and information gathering are paramount, as is a willingness and ability to act on concerns. Although great caution is urged, it is suggested that the findings from the study are credible and of interest to those who are working towards more timely recognition and referral of abused and neglected children. Possible applications of the findings in practice, education and further research are suggested.
Powell, Catherine
f2654e5b-8828-4d56-8ad3-66051d948c97
Powell, Catherine
f2654e5b-8828-4d56-8ad3-66051d948c97

Powell, Catherine (2001) The identification of early indicators of child abuse and neglect: a multi-professional modified Delphi Survey. University of Southampton, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Doctoral Thesis, 347pp.

Record type: Thesis (Doctoral)

Abstract

Through the application of the Delphi technique, this study draws on the expertise of British child protection academics and practitioners from a wide range of disciplines in seeking to develop a consensus opinion on possible early indicators of child abuse and neglect. Underpinned by children's rights theory the study reflects an ideologically oriented mode of inquiry. The literature on childhood and research findings from work undertaken with adult survivors of abuse forms an important part of the background. The search for early indicators is described in the context of a secondary preventative approach to the problem of child maltreatment.The Delphi study was conducted through three rounds of data collection. Consensus was defined as 75% or more of the panel agreeing (or 75% or more disagreeing) that an item was a possible early indicator of child abuse and neglect. A total of 73 items were generated. Of these 46 reached a consensus of agreement, four reached a consensus of disagreement and the remaining 23 items failed to reach consensus. The findings from the Delphi study were then examined in the context of a retrospective case-notes review of 20 families known to have had a child protection concern.Although, it is well recognised that inter-agency working is a crucial component of child protection practice, secondary analysis of the Delphi data suggested a number of significant differences in the strength and extent of inter-agency agreement on a number of the possible early indicators. The implications of this finding are discussed in light of contemporary policy and practice. A very tentative conclusion arising from the study is that the early indicators of child abuse and neglect that achieved consensus of agreement may help in diagnosing child abuse and neglect at an earlier stage, although they are not necessarily diagnostic. Alternative explanations, differential diagnoses and information gathering are paramount, as is a willingness and ability to act on concerns. Although great caution is urged, it is suggested that the findings from the study are credible and of interest to those who are working towards more timely recognition and referral of abused and neglected children. Possible applications of the findings in practice, education and further research are suggested.

Text
00187365.pdf - Other
Restricted to Repository staff only

More information

Published date: May 2001
Organisations: University of Southampton

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 50626
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/50626
PURE UUID: b2f86460-c5a9-4980-8df3-6c9e50a5b091

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 27 Mar 2008
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 10:09

Export record

Contributors

Author: Catherine Powell

Download statistics

Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.

View more statistics

Atom RSS 1.0 RSS 2.0

Contact ePrints Soton: eprints@soton.ac.uk

ePrints Soton supports OAI 2.0 with a base URL of http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/cgi/oai2

This repository has been built using EPrints software, developed at the University of Southampton, but available to everyone to use.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we will assume that you are happy to receive cookies on the University of Southampton website.

×